Batch meter



M. v. GILSON BATCH METER Jan. 11, 1944.

Filed Oct. 19, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet l 51w Mc/w 51/5011 Jan. 11, 1944. v GILSON 2,338,809

BATCH METER Filed Oct. 19, 1942 3 Sheets-$heet 2 .Jan. 11,1944. M. v. GILSON 2,338,809

BATCH METER Filed Oct. 19, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 11, 1944 BATCH METER Michael V. Gilson, Fredonia, Wis., assignor to Gilson Brothers Company, Fredonia, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application October 19, 1942, Serial No. 462,655

Claims.

This invention relates to batch-meters and refers particularly to batch-meters used in conjunction with concrete mixers for determining the duration of the mixing operation by preventing the discharge of the mixer for a given time.

Many different types of batch-meters have been proposed in the past for this service but in general these past mechanisms have been quite expensive and complicated and therefore not adapted for use on the small portable mixers.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a batch-meter which by virtue of the simplicity of its design and construction may be made inexpensively to be within the price range of small portable concrete mixers.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a batch-meter which is sufliciently rugged to withstand the hard usage to which equipment of this type is subjected.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combi nation and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed in accordance with the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a concrete mixer provided with the batch-meter of this invention;

Figure 1a is a perspective view of the primary elements of the batch-meter illustrating the manner in which tripping of the batch-meter allows the discharge chute handle of the mixer to be swung;

Figure 2 is a front plan view of the batch-meter per se, parts thereof being broken away, said view showing the mechanism in its cocked operative condition;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the mechanism tripped to allow the mixer to be discharged;

Figure 4 is a top plan View of the mechanism with parts thereof broken away and in section;

Figure 5 is a detail view showing part of the mixer and illustrating the manner in which the batch-meter is operated, and;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side view of that part of the mixer illustrated in Figure 5.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 represents generally a concrete mixer having a mixing drum 6 which is driven from an engine or other power source I.

Although not confinedthereto the simplicity and low cost of the batch-meter of this invention makes it admirably suited for mixers of the type which as shown are mounted on a trailer chassis to be readily portable.

The construction of the mixer, of course, forms no part of this invention as the batch-meter, indicated generally by the numeral 8, merely functions to prevent discharge of the mixer until its drum has completed the required number of revolutions. 1

To this end the batch-meter has a locking bar 9 which is projectible to an operative position overlying the handle I 0 by which the discharge chute I I of the mixer is swung to its operative discharging position. Thus as long as the locking bar 9 overlies the handle I0 and blocks movement thereof, the mixer cannot be discharged.

The batch-meter may be mounted in any suitable manner upon the frame work of the mixer and in addition to the locking bar 9, comprises a housing I2 across the bottom of which the looking bar 9 slides. A tension spring I3 anchored to the housing as at I4 is connected to an arm I5 projecting laterally from the side of the locking bar to yieldingly urge the locking bar to its inoperative position freeing the handle II) for the movement necessary to swing the discharge chute to its discharging position inside the drum.

Projecting up from the locking bar is an angular stop abutment I6 having a vertical leg I! and a horizontal arm I8, the outer surfaces of which are adapted to have a stop I9 engaged therewith. The stop I9 is constrained to vertical motion by two fixed guide rods 20 extending up from the bottom of the housing and on which the stop member is slidably mounted.

As best shown in Figure 4 the two guide rods 20 lie inwardly of the locking bar and the actual stop which engages the abutment I6 projects lat orally to a point substantially in line with the front face of the locking bar.

A screw 2| threaded in the stop l9 per se and secured in adjusted position by a locking nut 22 is positioned to limit the gravitational descent of the stop member by engaging the top of the look-- ing bar. Obviously, the adjustment of the screw 2| determines the extent of vertical motion required to lift the stop out of engagement with the vertical leg ll of the abutment.

Fixed to the stop member I9 is a ratchet bar 23, the teeth of which point downwardly to have a pawl 24 coact therewith and intermittently lift the stop member step-bystep upon reciprocation of the pawl.

The pawl is pivoted as at 25 to a plate or disc 26 fixed to a rock shaft 21 which extends through the rear wall of the housing. Exteriorly of the housing, the shaft 21 has a follower 2B fixed at right angles thereto, the outer end of which rotatably carries a rubber roller 29 in position to track on the surface of the mixing drum 6 in line with a cam 30 thereon.

Thus at each revolution of the drum, the cam 30 in passing under the roller 29 lifts the same and effects rocking or reciprocation of the pawl in the direction to lift the ratchet 23 and stop I9 a step nearer the top of the abutment It so as to finally free the locking bar for retraction.

When the stop 19 has been lifted far enough, the spring I3 snaps the locking bar back to its inoperative position, freeing the handle It for movement and causing the horizontal arm It of the abutment to ride under the stop I9, which then rests by gravity on the top surface of the arm l8.

Hence, upon return of the locking bar to its operative position, the horizontal surface of the arm I8 slides from beneath the stop l9 and allows the stop to drop by gravity an amount depending on the adjustment of screw 2|.

The pawl 24 is biased into engagement with the ratchet bar 23 by a spring 3| pulling rearwardly on the lower end of the pawl in a manner causing the lower end of the pawl to engage a shoulder 32 in the bottom of the housing when the pawl actuating mechanism is in its normal position thus disengaging the pawl from the ratchet bar as shown in Figure 2.

However, as will be readily apparent whenever the roller 29 is lifted by the cam 30 to oscillate the shaft 21, the pawl will be intermittently freed from the shoulder 32 and engaged with the ratchet bar and caused to lift the stop member a slight amount for each revolution of the mixing drum.

By holding the pawl free of the ratchet bar in the manner described, the ratchet bar may drop by gravity during the resetting of the batch-meter.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, that this invention provides a batch-meter which is sufficiently rugged to withstand the hard usage to which equipment of this character is put, and pne in which the cost of production is relatively What I claim as my invention is:

1. A batch-meter for concrete mixers comprising: a substantially horizontally reciprocable locking bar projectible into the path of a movable part on a mixer which must be moved to discharge the same so as to block such motion and prevent discharge of the mixer; means yieldingly urging the locking bar to its inoperative position; a gravity responsive ratchet bar guided for linear movement along a path angular to that of the locking bar; a connection between the bars by which the ratchet bar restrains the locking bar from movement to its inoperative position; a pawl operable to elevate the ratchet bar with an intermittent motion to a position disconnecting the same from the looking bar; means normally holding the pawl disengaged from the ratchet bar; and means operable by a moving part of the mixer for moving the pawl into engagement with the ratchet bar and for actuating the pawl to cause intermit tent elevating motion of the ratchet bar.

2. A batch-meter for concrete mixers and the like comprising: a locking member biased to an inoperative position and substantially horizontally movable to an operative position; latch mechanism movable by gravity to a latching position upon setting of the locking member to its operative position for holding the locking member in its operative position; and means for releasing the latch mechanism comprising a ratchet connected with the latch mechanism, a pawl normally disengaged from the ratchet but operable to intermittently elevate the ratchet so that the number of intermittent movements of the ratchet required to release the latch mechanism determines the time for which the locking member is held in its operative position, and means operable by a moving part of the mixer for repeatedly moving the pawl into engagement with the ratchet and for actuating the pawl to cause intermittent elevational movement of the ratchet.

3. A batch-meter for concrete mixers and the like comprising: a locking bar constrained to longitudinal motion along a substantially horizontal path; a spring yieldingly urging the looking bar to an inoperative position; an abut ment on the locking bar extending laterally therefrom; a stop constrained to sliding up and down movement along a fixed path substantially perpendicular to the path of the locking bar and engageable with said abutment to hold the locking bar in an operative position against the force of said spring so that the time required to elevate the stop and carry the same out of engagement with the abutment determines the period for which the locking bar is held in its operative position; a ratchet bar on the stop; a pawl normally disengaged from the ratchet bar but operable thereon to elevate the same and carry the stop out of engagement with the locking bar abutment; and means for reciprocating the pawl to intermittently operatively engage the same with the ratchet bar so as to intermittently advance the the stop toward a position disengaged from the abutment.

4. A batch-meter of the character described comprising: a locking bar constrained to substantially horizontal motion along a fixed path a spring yieldingly urging the locking bar to an inoperative position; an abutment on the locking ba having a vertical surface; a vertically movable stop member movable by gravity to a lowered position engageable with said vertical surface of the abutment to hold the locking bar in its'operative position against the force of the spring; a ratchet on said stop member; a pawl normally disengaged from the ratchet so as not to interfere with gravitational descent of the stop member but cooperable with the ratchet to intermittently lift the stop member and thus slide the same along the vertical surface of the abutment to the top thereof whereupon the locking bar is freed for retraction by the spring, friction between the stop member and the looking bar abutment precluding gravitational descent of the stop member except during setting of the locking bar to its operative position; means for effecting engagement of the pawl with the ratchet and for actuating the pawl; and an elongated horizontal supporting surface on the abutment movable under the stopmember to support the same as long as the locking bar remains retracted.

tently lift the stop member and thus slide the same along the vertical surface of the abutment to the top thereof whereupon the locking bar is freed for retraction by the spring, said pawl being normally disengaged from the ratchet; means for engaging the pawl with the ratchet and for actuating the pawl; an elongated horizontal supporting surface on the abutment movable under the stop member to hold the same against gravitational descent as long as the locking bar remains retracted; and an adjustable stop for limiting gravitational descent of the stop member upon return of the locking bar to its operative position whereby the time required for lifting the stop member to free the locking bar is adjustable.

MICHAEL V. GILSON. 

